Los Angeles’ parks, beaches, mountains and more offer plenty of changes to get some fresh air — well, maybe fresh isn’t the right word.
The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report gave L.A. failing scores on ozone levels, 24-hour particle pollution and annual particle pollution.
“Residents in the region face some of the most polluted air in the country,” said Will Barrett, senior director of National Clean Air Advocacy. “Despite decades of progress and cleanup, there’s still a long way to go.”
Nearly 10 million Angelenos are endangered by air pollution, including more than 2 million children and 1.4 million seniors. More than 7.3 million are people of color, and nearly 1.4 million live in poverty.
Statewide, 38.5 million Californians live in a county that got an F from the ALA, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The California Air Resources Board will consider two air-related measures next week, one that moves trucks to more zero-emission technology and another concerning the in-use locomotive standard to transition to cleaner technology.
“We know that there will be thousands of lives saved though the implementation of the Advanced Clean Fleet policy … As far as addressing the ozone challenges facing Southern California, transitioning fleets to zero-emission trucks is simply one of the most important things we can do,” said Barrett.